


Love Is Like A Candle

by KriKee



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Asexual/Sexual relationship, Attempted Suicide, Implied fuckery, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 13:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16388420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KriKee/pseuds/KriKee
Summary: Jiraiya comes home after the Second War a hero, having fought Hanzo a second time. Orochimaru becomes a good person.





	Love Is Like A Candle

Everything changed when Jiraiya came home. Jiraiya stand at Orochimaru’s shoulder, dragging him back whenever he started to forget things like food and sleep. “Orochi! You need to get to sleep.” Jiraiya nags for the sixth – or tenth – time that night, “Don’t make me drag you home.”

Orochimaru sighs, puts aside his work and walks home, listening to Jiraiya’s sordid gossip. If it pulls a few smiles from him and a dry laugh once, well, no one’s around to see or hear it.

Danzo approaches, eyes full of sympathy when Tsunade deserts the Village and a bounty _fails_ to be put on her head. Neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya can persuade Tsunade home. Danzo speaks platitudes and sympathies, and his eyes are a shark’s. “ROOT will give you the opportunities you need to further your studies. You’ll be _understood_ there.”

“He’s going to _use_ you Orochi,” Jiraiya says from his spot hidden in the crawl space behind the ceiling. He drops down, guides him to bed, lies down and hugs him, “Don’t let him use you.” he pleads. Orochimaru leans back into piney scents and warm fabrics. “You don’t need him to become great.” The whisper is thick, final and hangs like the sweetest of incense.

The way is set. 

Orochimaru and Jiraiya conspire; conversations in their shared home (when did they even move in? It was so natural that he’s quite forgotten) about how to bring Danzo’s deeds into the light and show him as the cancer he is. 

A few hidden cameras to show Danzo courting him, plying him with labs and _temptations_ to supply to sensei when the time is right. Jiraiya counsels moves to make, speaking into a microphone disguised as a new pair of piercings. Orochimaru has taken to humming codes they worked out together. He’s already odd enough that a little bit of musicality won’t be noticed.

Even though he wishes Jiraiya hadn’t insisted on so many of their codes coming from his favourite songs; they’re trashy, maudlin or both at once. He grows to love them, he will never tell.

He takes a student; brash, angry, mocked for being an orphan and alone. Anko is a sharp joy even if Jiraiya tends to avoid her. “She’s terrifying, and I’m not as good with kids as I thought.” he says, raising his palms up. “And this way I can get more intel for us to destroy Danzo.” Orochimaru agrees. Reluctantly.

Six months after he takes on Anko and his other genin – and it hurts less now, to teach again – he and Jiraiya sit on his roof and look at the stars. “I love you, Jiraiya.” Oro says. The words are hushed, like new snow on a new day.

“I wish I’d told you before...Ame.” Jiraiya says. “I love you. Always have.” 

He leans into Jiraiya’s builk and shivers at the cold breeze. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm.” His bed had never seemed so small until Jiraiya started sharing it. “You know I can’t...I can’t make love to you, Jiraiya. I love you, but….”

“Hey,” Jiraiya leans him and Orochimaru tugs the blankets tighter, “It’s okay. I don’t need sex.”

“But if you...if you need it, it’s okay to go elsewhere.”

Jiraiya’s jaw drops. He laughs near silent, “Love, *thank* you, but this is so much. I don’t need it, but thanks for the offer. Maybe sometimes you’ll watch when I pleasure myself.” His grin is lazy, smug, _perfect_. 

His genin team soar through the chuunin exams. Everyone whispers about their excellent teacher and his gentle ways with them. Jiraiya wraps Orochimaru in a bear hug and tells him over and over how fantastic he did! Orochimaru smiles, and another part of his heart enters tentatively into the sunlight.

The Third War breaks out, and Orochimaru turns to Sakumo. His shrunken, beaten form. He asks Jiraiya and a couple of his summons to keep an eye on the man who looks too much like his oldest friend and – lover – to leave alone.

Orochimaru is there to intervene the night Sakumo tries to kill himself on Danzo’s orders. 

Together they take their evidence to Hokage-sama and the tide turns thick, bloody and as implacable as the marching of time. By the end of it, Danzo’s name is erased from history, and somehow, the two village pariahs are risen to heroes.

That night, Orochimaru and Jiraiya lie in a tangle of cool limbs, blankets tossed off, and whispering their love to each other.

Some months later, Orochimaru takes the hat. He tries it on for the first time in their home, and smiles at Jiraiya’s reflection. “I couldn’t have made this without you, Jiraiya.”

Jiraiya smiles back, wistful, “You’ll be gone more often now.”

“Not so much,” he counters. “You’ll always be with me.”

“Yeah, Orochi. Always.” He reaches out his hand and Orochimaru’s hand wraps around nothing, as they always do. “Sorry I didn’t come home properly, Orochimari.”

“I could bring you back.” he pleads again.

“You wouldn’t, because you know it wouldn’t make me happy.” Jiraiya says; endless warmth twinned with regret, “Thank you, Orochi, for everything.”

“Thank you, Jiraiya, for guiding me.” He closes his eyes, hugs JIraiya's phantom form and the tears come.

A fact of Konoha: Yondaime Hokage Orochimaru is stern, a genius, and his eyes grieve.

A fact of Konoha: Orochimaru-sama visits Jiraiya’s grave every day.

A fact of Konoha: Orochimaru-sama loved his teammate deeply, but they were separated by war, never to be united.

**Author's Note:**

> So. I took Wammy’s prompts and went sideways. The original prompts were: post-second war; gen; high angst→ higher fluff; Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
> 
> Thirteen AU ideas later and this one struck me when I was in the shower. Twenty minutes later and it was fully written.
> 
> And yes, to clarify. Orochimaru knows full well he's hallucinating a version of Jiraiya, and doesn't care that he's lost a part of his mind in such a way.


End file.
